Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Working Vessels => Topic started by: steve mahoney on September 17, 2015, 01:40:37 am
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I've got this build log on a couple of other forums but some of you may be interested in it. I've completed the hull and these posts will bring you up to date on the build so far.
[/size]My last project the Mark I SDM, had barely left the bench when I started on this one: the tug Koraki.
The Koraki is a small (21m) coastal tug buit in New Zealand in 1986. It has had a very busy worklife and has worked out of just about every port in the country, mostly towing barges. Currently it is ferrying barges of cement 24/7 between Auckland and the new oil refinery being built in Whangarei.
For a while in the 1990s it worked out of my town, Wellington, and it was the subject of my first attempt at scratch-building. I was lucky enough to get some plans from the builders' yard and made a basic model for my sons room. Not sure what possessed me to make this particular boat at the time but its a tough looking little tug and the yellow looks good.
Twenty years later Ive decided to rebuild it, static only. The Koraki has changed a bit since 1995 and was never built exactly as the original plans depicted. I still had the plans so I contacted the current owners and was able to go aboard and get plenty of photographs. The owners were very heplful. The boat has had a few changes over the years and Ill build it as it is now only not so knocked around.
At 1/50 it is tiny 420mm LOA. Ive always built at 1/50 so Ill stick with it. Wish my first models had been at a larger scale then I wouldnt be locked into the fiddly small stuff at this size. Could be a slow build but I'll try to make regular updates.
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First job: Drew up the keel and hull ribs and had them laser cut out of 3.6mm ply.
Quick and easy and much more accurate than I could get by hand. Everything just slots together and super glued.
In the late 1980s I met an old bloke who had made a model schooner in 1914 (when he was 14) and he made the whole thing out of a single 6"x6"x6' piece of black oak. Had to saw it into planking, mast, ribs, etc and also turn and carve all of the equipment from the one plank. The model still exists he had just got it back from a great nephew to restore it. Makes me realise how easy we have it these days with easy access to materials and high tech tools.
As this model is static only, I wont need to get inside the hull so the ribs are solid and they are twice as many as I would use if I needed room for motors and electronics. etc.
I made a simple jig from MDF and Lego to hold the keel staight and true. Spacers keep the ribs parallel and at 90Ί to the keel.
and that is the cleanest, tidiest photo of my bench you'll ever see.
[/size]With the 1.5mm ply deck attached the carcase is very solid and feels almost bulletproof. Would have been ideal to make a hull mould at this stage hindsight is always 20/20.
The deck has the bulwark support bases already laser cut, ready to drop in the laser cut supports.
Packed out the bow and stern sections with basswood and sanded them and the rib edges into shape to accept 1.2mm ply hull sheeting. This is the easy part where things seem to progress quickly.
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Next step: [/size]Drew up a pattern for the topmost chine and cut it out of thin cardboard. I used this for checking the size and alignment, and then cut the final section from 1.2mm ply.[/size] [/size]I did the top chine in 4 segments: bow, stern and 2 sides. That gave the lower edge of the chine a nice clean line. It overlapped a bit at the deck but that was easily sanded down to deck level.The rest of the hull was done in the same manner.The section where the bow meets the keel was a very complex curve and I couldn't form it out of 1 piece of ply. Can usually do this with layers of 0.5mm or 0.8mm ply but not this time. Had to do it in short sections and sand the joins flush. Not ideal but that's what filler is for.Happy with the basic form. Starting to look like it should now a very solid, muscular hull.Now resin, sand, undercoat, sand, fill, sand and repeat about 10 times.
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Attached the bulwark struts which I had laser cut. Very easy to drop them into the slots laser cut into the deck. The struts are 1.5mm ply.
Cut out the anchor well at the same time. Involved a little sanding and filling but now looks fairly seamless.
Also built up the roller deck. All of these components have been laser cut much quicker construction, and more accurate than I could do by hand. Takes a little time to draw them up but seems worth it the long run.
The bulwarks are 0.8mm ply much stronger that is looks. I give the exterior a coat of polyester resin for good measure. Seals it, fills any minor gaps and stops any flex in the ply. I use the same pattern technique as used for the hull sections to form the bulwark sections. As long as the lower edge is a good fit with the deck I can always sand down any excess at the top to make it flush with the top of the support posts. As you can see, the rough cut at the top is easily sanded down.
[/size]The complex curves at the stern are 2 layers of 0.4mm ply laid with the grain at 90Ί to each other. This is very strong. Individually the pieces are very flexible and can't stand a lot of handling, together they are very robust.
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I got preoccupied with the build at this stage and forgot to take some progress photos so the next images fast forward a couple of weeks. The capping rail has been added, the freeing ports are done. The real boat has very pronounced reinforced weld lines along the chine lines. I added these with half-round styrene. Hull painted, sanded, filled a few times to get rid of any blemishes.
Time consuming but that is where any imperfections really stand out. Don't look too closely.
Started on the Kort nozzles.
Attempted to draw them up in 3D but ended up needing a lot of help, They printed OK but the surface quality wasn't as good as I had hoped. I'll have to try Shapeways next time, Patmat's results seemed much better than the local result.
The nozzle supports are brass and styrene, brass shafts with outer sheathing of styrene.
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Finished the hull. The chine lines have very pronounced reinforced welding lines. I used half-round styrene for these. Fender housing from 1mm ply.
[/size]After a lot more sanding and a few layers of undercoat is was ready for painting. I kept finding imperfections after each coat of paint so the last round of filling and sanding took ages.
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...and painted. I had made the bollards, deck vents, bitts, etc. between putting on the coats of paint. Also added some anodising plates to the mort nozzles. The real boat doesn't have them anywhere else on the hull.
Made the bow platform and stern roller from styrene.
I usually use enamel paint throughout but this time I used acrylic for the deck hopeless. I won't try that again. Couldn't spray it so had to brush it on and it needed about 5 coats. Not that happy with the finish either but it's staying now.
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That looks brilliant, nice work :-))
Phill
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Very nice work sir! :o
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Thanks for the encouraging comments guys. I'm a long way from your standards yet. Picking up lots of hints about laser cutting from Mermod's posts.Had a bit of a breather after the hull was completed. I did make a start on the superstructure. The basic carcase is 1.8mm ply which I had laser cut with the deck and bulwark supports. Drawing up the parts for cutting takes a little time but makes assembly very quick and simple. Just slots together and gives a very solid base. This is the easy part.
[/size]The bridge/wheelhouse came together in the same manner after some manual adjustment to the front window widths forgot to allow for the thickness of the ply. Luckily, it didn't take too long to remedy and after a coat of paint you'd never know.
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After filling, sanding and undercoating several times I was ready to add a few details.The portlight bolts were easier to do than I had imagined.I printed out a grid on clear film and used a pin to mark where the I deeded to drill.Then used a 0.5mm bit held in my fingers to drill through the ply. Needed a delicate touch.The rest is pretty easy to see from there photos. Styrene rod glued into holes and used a piece of 0.5mm styrene sheet to give me a height to sand down to. Don't know the correct name for the shade/rain visor/protectors above the windows but they were added from segments of styrene tubing that had been sanded to a fine taper.
The last image is the result. The glass is quite recessed in real life so I can simply attach it to the inside of the wall.And for the rivet counters there are 14 bolts on the real boat's windows but I have only used 8.And that will haunt me to my grave.
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Got the etched brass that I had been waiting for. Only 2 weeks from ordering from PPDL in Scotland to delivery in New Zealand. That's a pretty good turn around. As usual the quality is excellent however at the last minute I changed the brass from 0.7 to 0.4mm and didn't adjust the artwork, rendering all of the stanchions paper thin and useless.Luckily I have enough from a previous build to make up the numbers.The name plate has the original name of the tug SeaTow 21 (not very imaginative). on the real boat this has been painted over but you can still see a faint outline. I haven't decided if I'm building it as is or as it was in 1995. Any eagle-eyed members from Otago might spot a clue for my next project hidden in the sheet.
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Any eagle-eyed members from Otago might spot a clue for my next project hidden in the sheet.
Those are funny looking anchors!! :-))
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Very tidy looking build. Question, who is PPDL of Scotland? That etch work looks very good indeed.
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http://www.ppdltd.com/ (http://www.ppdltd.com/) :-))
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http://www.ppdltd.com/ (http://www.ppdltd.com/) :-))
Very interesting, thank you :-))
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Back to work
As the doors also suffered from the change to thinner brass I packed them out with 0.5mm styrene to give them some depth. The etched holes were the perfect size for the brass rod for the handles. Soldered them from the rear to cut down on excess solder to remove.Was also able to smooth out the joins in the bridge/wheelhouse. The visor is styrene and the corners are pretty much solid filler.A nice simple bit for the next stage funnels.These are ply with a very thin styrene skin.Those ladder rungs don't look too straight in the construction photo. I subsequently replaced them. I tend to do that a lot. I usually end up making about 25% of the boat twice. No wonder they take so long to finish.
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The basic superstructure was finished and primed/undercoated. I added a capping rail of thin styrene and recessed the brass stanchions into it. The stanchions were CA glued into place and then a brass rod rail was soldered onto the top of the stanchions. I made the top rail from 3 sections so that I could have more leeway when positioning them (and I couldn't get rod long enough to make the whole rail in one piece). I joined them at the stanchion. It worked out quicker and better than using 1 piece too many curves to align.Finally, I used a left-over stanchion as a jig to hold the lower rails in place while I soldered them to the end post. Seems simple now but it took several evenings of soldering and filing.The vent bases are styrene as are the vent cowls that sit on spacers over the vent shafts. Didn't bother with any detail on the aft ceiling as you'll never get to see it.As you can see there are still plenty of rough spots to tidy up.
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Back to work
As the doors also suffered from the change to thinner brass I packed them out with 0.5mm styrene to give them some depth. The etched holes were the perfect size for the brass rod for the handles. Soldered them from the rear to cut down on excess solder to remove.Was also able to smooth out the joins in the bridge/wheelhouse. The visor is styrene and the corners are pretty much solid filler.A nice simple bit for the next stage funnels.These are ply with a very thin styrene skin.Those ladder rungs don't look too straight in the construction photo. I subsequently replaced them. I tend to do that a lot. I usually end up making about 25% of the boat twice. No wonder they take so long to finish.
Only 25%? I've heard of a shipbuilder whose 'claim to fame' was making close to 30% of the ship twice!
But seriously, your build is looking fantastic! - Tom
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Thanks Tom.]
[/size]I've been slowly beavering away making lots of small, detail parts over the past few weeks. For a while everything I touched turned to custard: breaking bits off the model, dropping things, spilling paint and glue. I seized the airbrush compressor.
[/size]Usually I try to use paint straight from the tin, if I'm mixing a colour I mix enough to last the whole construction period. This time I didn't mix enough extra hull red oxide and sure enough when I needed to do some remedial work I had a "xxxxx" of a time trying to match the original. Same for the deck colour. Then I resprayed the upper hull but I had a dud tin of paint and what should have been satin turned out to be super gloss. More respraying. Very frustrating.
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...and painted
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I did manage to complete the mast. It's quite small and complex and sorely tested my soldering skills. Lots of filing involved.[/size]It's much easier working on a complicated piece when you're using heat sinks a couple of alligator clips proved to be very handy.Glad that's over, although I did manage to break the aerials off a couple of times and one more time while photographing the painted version. Doh!No working lights on this model. The 'white' lights don't look so blue in real light.
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Fantastic work!!! :-))
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Thanks Bassplayer, I've been following your Greek ferry with interest.
[/size]I now have everything ready to install apart from the winch and ship's runabout. The winch is, as usual, quite complicated and I've been avoiding it. The dinghy is a tinnie with a cover so no major problems there.I've decided to show the Koraki as it was in the late 90s, when it was still owned by Seatow and just after they changed the name from Seatow 21 to Koraki. That was also around the time when the original bow fenders were replaced by tyres.I had initially hoped to find some appropriate rubber tyres on some toy cars and use them. Couldn't find any 1/50 truck tyres at a reasonable price (I needed 10) or a digger tyre either. So plan B, I used some laser cut disks to make them. The burnt edge sort of resembles tyre tread for the smaller tyres. Styrene for the digger tread. Several coats of almost black and I'm happy with the result. If you squint hard enough they look like old tyres.
[/size]Attaching them was another story.The real boat's truck tyres are bolted onto the hull/bulwark and only the digger tyre is attached by chains. If I glued the truck tyres into place it would be correct as per the real boat but it would look like I'd taken the easy option. So I used chain for them all. Very fiddly but looks much better.The hull is all complete now and only needs the name and hull markings applied. I always leave those to the very last job.
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Made quite a bit of progress in the past few weeks barring a few days where I kept dropping things that had just been painted, losing small pieces and generally stuffing up everything I touched. The wheelhouse/bridge in now finished, painted and has all of its detail parts added.
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Last ones.
Unfortunately for me, one of the Koraki's Mates is a member on this forum and he'll be able to point out the mistakes and shortcuts I've made in these last posts. There is no lifejacket locker on the real flying bridge but I had made 2 and didn't want to throw the spare out. There is an extra rail on the ladder my mistake and didn't realise until it was installed. I've used the aerial array that was in use in 1995. This boat seems to have aerials sticking out of everywhere, I've still got a couple more to add.Almost finished the main superstructure as well. Should have that competed this weekend. Then it's only the winch left to make. I've been avoiding that, it's a particularly complex and compact little unit. Luckily it's black so that will hide a multitude of sins.At this stage of a build I'm already thinking about the next project and can't wait to be done with this one. Yahoo!!
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Very sharp detail Steve ...congratulations :-))... are you using rattle cans or an airbrush?
Some of the latter images near appear as CAD 3D generated {-) ...... Derek
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Just read through your build for the first time - enjoyed every minute of it, mainly down to the unusual subject plus the mishaps along the way. My own work tends to suffer the same. O0
Watching now for your updates. :-))
Regards,
Ray.
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Derek I use an airbrush a really cheap $29 version from SuperCheapAuto. It works fine. Cans are quite expensive here and the colour range is a bit limited. Plus I like to use satin finish. I think that gloss paints look a little too bright and shiny for a working boat. In the past I had a very expensive Aerogragraph airbrush, and then an even more expensive Badger haven't used them in years. Always having to replace the O-rings and needles got to be annoying. The $29 version works just as well for this type of work. I also always use enamel paints and the cheapie handles them and thinners well. It hasn't had an easy life. Haven't got around to using acrylics yet. A bit concerned about the combination of a quick drying time and clogging the airbrush.
Ray thanks
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Had an interesting email this morning. The Koraki's mate, captain, former owner, and builder are now all following the build. Hi guys.
It's the old 'good news, bad news' story.
The bad news is that they will all be able to spot my short-cuts and mistakes in the next few posts.
The good news is that the one of them now owns Thomsom Tugs (4 boats) in Auckland and has offered me any help I need if I want too model one their boats.
When I started on this build I had actually planned to build two boats at once the other was the Christine Mary (a Thomson boat) the red one in the photos. However at basic hull stage it and the Koraki were so similar that I put the CM on the back burner and stopped work just before skinning up the hull. Might now be able to get onboard to a get a few photos and resurrect the project.
The Koraki's former owner and builder, Pat Ganly (who is also following the build) is one of New Zealand's best known shipbuilders and has built some very fine tugs. I've already built a couple of models of some of his boats: Kupe (1970) from Wellington, Te Matua (1986) from Tauranga, and the next on the bench is another of his tugs.His old firm is still making some great boats the PT May is one of their latest
...and the Koraki's skipper has mentioned that I might be able to get a trip on the tug on its cement barge run up the coast.
Not a bad start to the week.
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On the Te Matua can you explain way the funnel/engine exhausts are in that position? It appears to me that it must cause an immense blind spot to port when running ahead.
LB
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That is an exquisite build Steve. I know what you are going through dropping bits and ruining something you spent ages forming/soldering etc. I think it is our quota of karmic balance and wish it would not happen!
I have used PPD before when having a set of helicopter blades etched for a client and they do good work. It helps having a friend who can draw computerly well and understands how etching works as well.
Reading your initial comments on being locked into building in 1:50th scale, have you considered doing different subjects in a different scale or are you a dedicated Tug builder?
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LB The Te Matua is a harbour tug and I've seen it working. The stern is the business end, it does all of the pushing and pulling so the stern is usually at the front, they do everything in reverse, if you know what I mean. It's a Voith drive so it has full power any direction. They have an uninterrupted view of the working deck from the bridge. There is a blind spot looking forward at about 11 o'clock, but the funnel is angled and isn't very wide so it probably isn't too bad. Strange, but it doesn't seem to slow it down at all. The builders used that hull on a few other boats but that was the only superstructure like it.
Ballastanksian Thanks. I think I'm a confirmed tug nut. No idea why. Wouldn't have room for them at a larger size. I'd like to make a Great Lakes freighter like the Edmond Fitzgerald but anything bigger than a breadbox would take some serious persuading of the wife. I'd never win that one. Hard enough sneaking another small one into the house.
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Hm, I see your point. Getting the space/acceptability balance must be a fine skill to have!
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Getting close to finishing.
Would have finished last week but a weird health issue threw a spanner in the works.
I woke up one morning and had completely lost my short/mid term memories. Didn't know what day it was, where I worked, what I did, what car I drove. Could remember the family and their names but that was about it. Was amazed to learn that I had another Alfa Romeo. It was something called a TGA (transient global amnesia) yes, it is a real thing. Quite rare, and it wore off after about 6 hours but had to spend the next few days undergoing tests which basically consisted of putting my head into various machines and getting blasted by every frequency known to science. All good now and able to get back onto the build. Only upside is I might be able to use a TGA 'relapse' if I need any alibis for late night drinking sessions in the future.
Back to the build: As you can see, the box of pieces to be added to the boat is almost empty. Yahoo!
Just the display stand and the winch left to make.
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Nice build.
In the last photo, are these the Winch parts?.
Len.
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Some of them :D
Spot the missing piece Len ;D
Ned
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On the Te Matua can you explain way the funnel/engine exhausts are in that position? It appears to me that it must cause an immense blind spot to port when running ahead.
LB
Te Matua is currently plying its trade at the port of Bluff.
http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:698967/mmsi:512001783/imo:0/vessel:TE_MATUA
B
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Nice build.
In the last photo, are these the Winch parts?.
Len.
Some of them :D
Spot the missing piece Len ;D
Ned
Is it the Left handed throsle bevel gear?.
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Len: Down here in the southern hemisphere all the TBGs are right handed. It is there in the photo if you are viewing it in the UK you'll need to stand on your head to see it the right way round.
Antipodes: Yes, she's all green now. Working down there with Hauroko which has exactly the same hull as Te Matua but more conventional superstructure.
I didn't need all of those components in the photo I was experimenting with laser cutting different weights and types of ply. Really only needed about 1/4 of the pieces.
I've knocked out the basic form of the winch and it's slightly larger than I had anticipated. It all fits where it should but I had forgotten how tight space is on the real boat. You really have to squeeze to get in behind the real winch and at 1/50 size it looks very tight between the winch and the aft bulkhead.
Used a combination of ply, styrene and brass for the construction. This has had a basic primer coat and now onto undercoat, filler and sanding for a few sessions.
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That winch is very impressive Steve - watching your progress with great anticipation. :-))
Regards,
Ray.
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Finished. Yahoo!!
Well, it's all finished at last. After a few weeks' summer holiday over Christmas I've spent the past couple of days glueing on the last pieces and touching up the paint work. The last few bits seemed to give the most headaches. The air horns took ages to build. The results never seemed true to scale. I eventually made a small plug/mould and formed them out of hot 0.2mm styrene on a styrene shaft. Had to have quite a few attempts before I was happy with the result.
Also made the deck/work lightsDecided not to rig up the crane/hoist.
The last job was to apply the names and hull markings very satisfying knowing that it's all over. I've noticed a couple of mistakes that I failed to pick up during construction and I'm sure the members on here who work on the Koraki will be able to spot my modeller's short cuts.
I'm ready for the next project so I probably won't do any remedial work on the errors. I'm sure I can live with them.
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The name plate has the tug's original name SEATOW 21 still slightly visible under the paint. This image also has one of my errors. Anyone spot it?
The wire cable on the winch is steel fishing trace. Looks the part but is virtually impossible to bend around a small radius. Wrapping it around the drum required equal amounts of glue, clamping and bad language.
Already thinking about the next one.
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Hullo Steve and congratulations O0
1. You have achieved a brilliant rendition of the subject
2. you ask for the identification of an error in that first image {-)...I do not see this
I do however question about the vent U pipe and the horizontal rail as shown below....
The vent U pipe colour represents an oil [lube or hydraulic] to AS2700 in 'Golden Sand' :-))
The horizontal pipe to the stern is painted in the same colour, however I am unsure of the significance
You must be very happy with the build & we hope to see her on the water
Derek
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Well, I am no great lover of tugs, but this is a model I would be proud to own. Very nice, well done :-))
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A very nice piece of engineering and model making. You must be proud as it's such a pleasure to see. Well done indeed. :-))
Cheers
ken
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I do like to see a beaten up and dirty tug but in this case I say hats off to you Sir O0 lovely :-))
Dave
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Beautiful job Sir.
Is the after life belt bracket the wrong way round. ?
Ned
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Thanks for the encouraging comments guys.
Well spotted Ned pick anything from the top row.
Rookie mistake on my part. I have the attention span of a goldfish.
Derek close but no cigar. The vents are the right colours in the right places. That was one of the easier things to get right on this build. I managed to get photos of all of the vents while I was onboard. Not sure what that pipe does but it does seem a complicated way to vent something.
Karl perhaps you could tell us what it does?
Dave I'm too worried about stuffing it up to try to weather my models. I like the look and finish of makers' models and this is about as close as I can get to that.